


And Let the Magic Begin

by thefourhorsemen



Category: Now You See Me (2013)
Genre: F/M, Gen, The Four Horsemen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-18
Updated: 2013-06-18
Packaged: 2017-12-15 09:43:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/848071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefourhorsemen/pseuds/thefourhorsemen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based off the interview where Dave says he Isla, Jesse and Woody all hung out in Jesse’s apartment and played games and ordered pizza and got to know each other… Except this one is with the Four Horsemen. I wanted to explore their pasts more, and each character gets their past explained how I envisioned it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And Let the Magic Begin

**Author's Note:**

> Cross posted to thefirstruleofmagic.tumblr.com. Go follow it! It's a 100% Now You See Me blog!

“Are we really doing this right now?” Daniel asked, voice flat as he stood in the doorway of Henley’s apartment. Jack and Merritt were close behind, chatting quietly about the strange man they encountered in the elevator on their way up.

“Yes.” Henley was using her best no nonsense voice, pushing between his shoulder blades to make him continue forward into the apartment. She reached a gloved hand for the light switch, flicking it on, illuminating a cozy little flat, very obviously Henley’s with all the abstract paintings and the abandoned pair of handcuffs pushed under one of the sofas. Daniel turned a critical eye to the spacious kitchen, surprisingly not cluttered with dishes.

“Well, you’ve let this place go since I was last here,” he stated, running a hand over one of the paintings. Henley scoffed from where she was hanging up her keys.

“Yeah, it’s more of a home without some anal guy whining about a dish not lined up perfectly.” At that, Merritt let out a hearty chuckle from where he was already lying comfortably on one of the sofas, Jack on the floor in front of him, toying with the handcuffs, slapping them on and off. Daniel opened his mouth to respond, but Merritt beat him to it, holding up an open palm, a smirk plastered on his face already.

“I’m sensing some sexual tension,” he stated and Jack grinned down at the cuffs, trying to hide it.

“What are you laughing at?” Daniel scoffed at the young man, feeling threatened. The comment wiped the grin off Jack’s face instantly. His fingers tightened on the metal, cutting into his palms. Merritt caught Daniel’s eye and sent him a stern look.

Henley’s eyes softened at the boy, while Daniel lifted his chin high and sat on the far corner of a vacant sofa.

“Okay, okay, we’ve had our fun,” Henley spoke, kicking off her heels and sliding into the spot next to Daniel, who only glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “We were told to learn more about each other…” Daniel was quick to interrupt.

“Which is rather pointless, because this is business, so I don’t need to know you two, and I already know Henley pretty well.” He leered at the girl as he spoke and Henley rolled her eyes.

“You knew nothing about me.” Henley pointed out, swinging her legs up and under her. “That’s exactly why it didn’t work. And this is a little more important than being your showgirl and cooking you dinner.” Merritt waggles an eyebrow at the use of the term showgirl and even Daniel had the sense to look down at his lap at that one.

“I agree, though,” Merritt offered up after his suggestive behavior. “Magic teaches you not to trust much. And if we’re going be pulling off a big heist like this mystery man claims, we sure as hell better trust each other.” Henley seemed pleased by the agreement and looked at Jack.

“Jack?” she asked. The boy looked up from the cuffs, which were locked tight around his wrists. He snapped a finger and off they came, falling into a heap, still locked tight. Merritt began a slow clap behind him and Jack let a small smile play at his lips again.

“Sounds good.” Then there was silence as all eyes moved to Daniel, who was looking steadfastly at everything but the three others. He finally looked up after a few moments.

“Fine, whatever. It can’t hurt.” Henley grinned, obviously excited despite the poker face she wore when the note demanding they get to know each other was delivered.

“We could start with a game,” she suggested and bit her lip in concentration. Merritt waited patiently, picking up Jack’s abandoned cuffs and trying to undo them. “I got it! Okay, Never Have I Ever, you all know that game, right?” Henley asked, obviously eager. Daniel and Merritt nodded, though Daniel didn’t look thrilled. Henley’s gaze moved to Jack who nodded, but didn’t actually look certain. Henley, not wanting to call him out, went on to explain anyway.

“For review, you hold up ten fingers and someone will say ‘Never have I ever…’ So and so forth, and if you’ve done what they said, you put a finger down.” Jack, who had been listening attentively, nodded and put up 10 fingers obediently, the others following.

“The last one with fingers still left wins.” Merritt finished for her.

“I’ll go first,” Daniel said, not actually surprising anyone, Daniel always had to be in control. “Never have I ever kissed someone of the same gender.” He cast an obvious look at Henley, who huffed and lowered one finger, mumbling Daniel and something that sounded suspiciously like asshole. Merritt strictly kept all of his fingers up, flexing them straighter if anything and Jack’s didn’t move.

“Don’t ask,” she seethed and Merritt held up his hands higher, showing surrender.

“Okay, me now,” Henley began, eager to change the subject and glanced around for inspiration. “Never have I ever… had a pet.” Down went Daniel and Merritt’s fingers.

“Had a ton of dogs,” Merritt confessed when Daniel didn’t speak. “Mom thought they would keep me out of trouble. Just ended up taking them with me when I got in trouble.” He sounded pretty thrilled about it.

“What were you in trouble for?” Daniel asked, sounding genuinely curious.

Merritt shrugged. “Everything,” he confessed. “I was always messing around in school, shooting spit balls, whoopee cushions, you know, all the basics. Finding out I had mentalism didn’t help me get serious either.” Merritt gets somber for a moment, his usual joking charisma vanished. 

“Got me in a tough spot for a while. I was twenty years old and fresh out of home, finally free, so I did what any kid mentalist would do. Decided I could use conning to make a living.” The trio was listening with rapt attention, Jack looking at him in wonder.

“Conned the wrong group of guys eventually. It was bound to happen. I got a big head, all the popularity and shit got to me. Thought I’d make a pretty penny with a big drug scam some friends got me in on, they didn’t mention there were undercover narcs involved.” Henley nodded sympathetically as Merritt continued.

“I was a dumb kid, too cocky. Landed my ass in jail for a year.” Daniel cocked an impressed brow. “I was more careful at that point, kept to my limits. Any following I had was gone, so I ended up a street magician and… Here I am.”

“Wow,” Jack breathed out, obviously amazed by the story. Jack himself was only 22, that would be him two years ago, sitting in jail. The thought stunned him. Henley, the mother figure she was, reached over to pat him on the knee.

“And now you’re going to pull of the magical heist of the century,” she said, winking. Merritt laughed, seemingly back to his cheerful, witty self. Henley stood. “I’m going to get some food. Popcorn and water good enough for you?” she asked and the trio nodded.

“Okay, Jack you try.” Daniel suggested.

Jack’s eyes darted up. “Um…” He began, obviously thinking hard about the question. “Uh, never have I ever… Killed somebody.” It was dumb, Jack realized that immediately after he said it. These were master magicians, living on the streets of Brooklyn, they had to… No one’s fingers moved and Henley didn’t pope up from the kitchen.

“Wow kid, I was kind of scared yours was going to go down,” Daniel said.

“Don’t call me that,” Jack snapped and Henley blinked in surprise at the hostility as she reached for the bag of popcorn in the cabinet, sticking it in the microwave. Jack wasn’t  
confident around them. She’d seen him on the street, during performances, and he radiated confidence and charisma, but around them, he acted like… Well, a kid.

Jack covered for himself. “None of you have ever killed someone?” he asked, sounding surprised.

Merritt laughed heartily. “We’re magicians, illusionists really, not mobsters.”

Henley laughed from the kitchen. “We’re not that tough,” she said as she removed the steaming popcorn and grabbed bottles of water from the fridge.

Jack chuckled. “Then you guys aren’t as impressive as I thought.” Daniel scoffed, missing the joking tone of voice, and Henley pelted pieces of popcorn at him on her walk back from the kitchen. She sat the bag of popcorn on the table and passed around water bottles, grinning at Merritt as he picked up pieces off Jack’s shirt and popped them in his mouth.

“Now that Jack has realized we’re not psychotic killers…” Daniel began, back to his sarcastic tendencies.

“My turn,” Merritt spoke, rubbing his palms together, deep in thought. “Never have I ever hurt myself during a trick.” All eyes moved to Henley, Merritt’s question obviously for her. 

Very deliberately, the red head put down a single gloved finger. Even Daniel looked interested, Henley had never explained the gloves and even in years of partnership and more, she never took them off. Luckily, Henley was an open book.

“Alright you nosy asses,” she huffed and sat up straighter. “I am only showing you this because clearly, this man wants us to trust each other. And if any of you laugh, I will make the time we spend together miserable, big illusion or not, got it?” The boys nodded, Jack eagerly staring at the gloves.

Henley closed her eyes and took a deep breath, pulling the red leather gloves off of one hand slowly. Merritt let out a small breath, eyes growing wide. The woman’s hand was covered in harsh red lines, obviously old, but still prominent. Her skin was risen in spots, black burns scattered here and there. Daniel’s eyes couldn’t move from the sight as  
Henley peeled off the other glove, with nearly identical marks, though not as bad.

“It wasn’t me,” she began quietly, staring at her hands, opening and closing her fist over and over. Not even she had seen her hands without the gloves in a while. “First starting out, I knew I needed an ally. A man,” she clarified, eyes growing dark. “I was tough, I knew that, but I could barely escape from handcuffs at the time, I knew I couldn’t take on the streets.” The boys were listening very closely, Daniel’s eyes still glued to Henley’s battered hands.

“Met a guy who said he could help me out. A struggling street magician, told me all the best performance spots, taught me some tricks, and I just… Bought into it all. Became his little showgirl.” The word was said with disdain and Merritt’s knowing eyes moved to Daniel. Henley looked up.

“It wasn’t him. He was an ass, but he didn’t hurt me like that,” she clarified. Daniel’s gaze didn’t waver. “We performed together, lived out of his pocket for a year and pretty soon, we were the next great duo. Pulling off crazy stunts, dropping me from rooftops, sawing me in half, all the basic illusions.” Her fingers clenched tight.

“Thought we were smart, could really pull off a new stunt. Chain me up and set the cuffs on fire. But he was too sure, didn’t rehearse it enough, didn’t listen to me. The trick went wrong.” Henley swallowed, practically feeling the engulfing heat, remembering screaming for help and feeling her hands just burn.

“The cuffs wouldn’t come undone, the fire burned them too quick and they just melted together. Asshole was too cheap to buy a good pair. And he left. I screamed for help and he just… Turned and fled, afraid his little show would turn on him.” Her eyes danced with flames now, anger and hatred burning in them.

“Some guys from the crowd got me out, put out the fire and took me to the ER. I was in the hospital for a week and a half with third degree burns. Took skin from my thigh and put it on my hands.” Jack looked horrified at the thought and Henley decided now was the time to put her gloves back on.

“And I went solo, until I met Daniel,” she finished, sliding the leather back onto her fingers. “”Wear these to hide the scars and I don’t mess with fire anymore, I learned my lesson from that.” As the glove slipped over her finger, Daniel reached out, seemingly a reflex and caught her hand, rubbing a gentle hand over the scars. Merritt and Jack both swung their heads away, feeling as if they were intruding on a private moment.

Henley’s eyes locked with Daniel’s, and she looked at him, level and strong. “I’m good now,” she murmured and Daniel looked at the scars, then at her, and nodded.

“I know,” he replied and Henley let her lips quirk up a bit, Daniel’s grin matching her own.

“Besides,”Henley continued, loud enough for the whole group to hear. “Makes me feel like one of the boys.” She wiggled her gloved hands, hiding her nails and Merritt laughed.

“You’re tougher than these boys, I’ll tell you that,” he told her and Henley looked gracious at the praise, looking confident again.

Daniel sensed the end of the conversation and cleared his throat. “I guess it’s my turn. Never have I ever been skinny dipping.” Henley choked on a laugh and slipped a finger down, along with Merritt. Daniel lifted a brow, eyes darting between the two in a suggestive manor as he sipped on his water.

“In my dreams... Every night," Merritt began, winking at Henley who laughed out loud.

Merritt then turned to Daniel. "You know Atlas, you’re not too bad without the stick up your ass,” Merritt offered up and Daniel smirked.

“Your flattery is overwhelming,” he replied and Jack looked between the two with a small grin, sticking a hand into the popcorn bag and taking a huge bite, spilling some onto the floor.

“You make quite a mess, kid. How did your mom put up with you?” Henley asked jokingly as she stooped to pick up the fallen pieces and tossed them onto the table.  
Jack looked up at her, suddenly very serious. 

“She didn’t,” he said, jaw locked tight. Henley looked at him questioningly, remembered the kid running around with a knapsack, conning for any bit of money he could get, never eating home cooked meals, and carefully planned her next words.

“Never have I ever ran away from home,” she said, looking evenly at Jack. Game forgotten, Jack dropped his hands. 

“Hey, fuck you, aright?” He said, and made a move to stand up, clearly upset.

Merritt reached out. “Hey, Jack, c’mon,” he urged, grabbing his wrist. "Henley and I confessed, you’re part of this group too. Open up.”

Jack seemed to relax at his words and though his expression was still stormy, he sat back down, back pressed up against the couch.

“Yeah, I ran away. Didn’t have much of a choice. Dad bailed when I was like, two, and Mom decided buying her crack should come before paying the electricity bill.” Henley frowned at that, thinking of her own childhood, happy and content with her parents.

“She wasn’t around much, always gone with some new guy or out looking for some new drug from some new guy.” Jack laughed bitterly at the memory.

“She always brought home these assholes, real dicks. And one just… Stuck around. Mark. I was 16 when he first came around, I think. Mom would binge on drugs, pass out and he’d rough me up, push me around, make him feel bigger, you know?” Jack seemed furious at the memory.

“Got tired of it, so I snuck out, told some cops.” His hands clenched. “Waste of time. Damn bastards were charmed out of it by two drug addicts. Mark, who snorted heroin in my bathroom, talked the cops into believing I was just a problem child with daddy issues.”

“He wanted to make sure I couldn’t tell anyone anymore, so he locked me up in my room, put chains on the door and boarded up the windows…”

Daniel jumps in. “And that’s how you learned to pick locks,” he finished for him quietly.

Jack nodded. “I wasn’t staying there. Asshole thought he was funny and tossed me a deck of cards to “entertain me” and I taught myself tricks. Got pretty good.” Jack sounded proud of the achievement. Henley thought he deserved to be.

“He came at me one day and I just… I’d had enough. I let him hit me a few times, took his wallet and his watch in the fight and bailed that night. I was done,” he said, voice firm. 

“Learned I was pretty good with my hands and made a living out of that.”

Merritt reached over the couch to ruffle Jack’s hair. Jack didn’t even bother to shove him off, just leaned back. “And now you’re an amazing sleight of hands, their loss.”  
Henley nodded in agreement and even Daniel had the courtesy to offer up a sympathetic gaze.

“But none of that poor kid shit, okay? I’m not a kid. I haven’t been a kid in a long time. I’m young, I get that, but I’m not a kid,” Jack said solemnly.

“Maybe you deserve to be a kid, though,” Henley offered and Jack shrugged.

“If he wants to play with the big boys, he’s got to be one,” Daniel interjected and while Henley jammed an elbow in his side, Jack looked appreciative. He didn’t want this to change anything. If Daniel was suddenly kind, he’s be concerned. He wanted to prove himself, not forever be known as the kid with the messed up life that was with the other three magicians.

“What’s your story then, Danny boy?” Merritt asked, game forgotten by now. Daniel shot him a stern look, obviously not wanting to participate much.

“Don’t have one,” he answered shortly and Jack frowned. Merritt had it though, leering at the man.

“Don’t do that mind reading bullshit, I know it’s all based on body language and that crap,” Daniel warned, though he seemed wary.  
Merritt smirked. “Let’s see… You had a good childhood, nothing too messed up there. Good dad in particular, spent a lot of time with him… And only him for a bit… Ah!” A light bulb seemed to flick on in Merritt’s mind and he shot up on the couch, jack hammering into a sitting position. “Divorce.” 

Daniel's eyes narrowed into thin slits. “Ah, so I'm right,” Merritt said, sounding sure of himself. “You were... About eleven?” he prompted and though reluctant, Daniel nodded. 

“Your dad initiated it.. No wait, mom. Definitely mom... What happened?”

Daniel seemed upset, but he knew he couldn't get out of this one. “They split when I was eleven exactly. About three days after my birthday.” He spoke of the memory bitterly, and with good reason, Merritt assumed.

“They'd been fighting, but you know, they're adults, it happens.” Daniel's voice was picking up speed, like it always did when he felt strongly about something.

“And we got wilder. We were young kids, we wanted to play and ended up breaking vases and windows, all of the stuff kids are supposed to do.”

“But it got worse. Mom complained that the house was a wreck. Said my dad couldn't keep my brothers and I in control. Said the whole house was out of control.” Henley looked at Daniel sympathetically. She remembered seeing pictures of him with his brothers and parents scattered around the apartment, the fondness in his voice when he talked about them.

“She left eventually. Just packed up, said she'd call and kissed our foreheads and off she went.” Daniel glared at the floor.

“She kept her promise, she called and sent cards and I've seen her a few times since, but what did she expect? We were four little boys, we're going to get out of hand.”  
Merritt hummed, deep in thought. “So, you're a control freak because your dad wasn't?”

Daniel just sighed. “I suppose. He was a great dad, he never did anything wrong and he loved us. He let us be kids. But after that, I just forced myself to grow up. Like Jack said, you do what you have to. So I took control of the house, kept everyone and everything in line, hoping Mom would come back.”

Henley's mouth set in a thin line. She knew Daniel was a control freak, and there was probably a good reason, but now that she knew it, everything shifted into place. Avoiding questions about his mother in particular, why he was so insistent they pick up after themselves, why his apartment was so clean...

“She shouldn't have left like that,” she offered up and Jack nodded in agreement. Daniel figured they had more in common than met the eye.

Silence ensued for a few moments, the only sound coming from the cars driving by outside. “Alright,” Henley said, eyes open and the usual tough girl act gone. “Come in here,” she demanded and stood, arms wide.

Daniel looked at her skeptically, but Jack was already on his feet, wrapping Henley a hug. Merritt chuckled from the sofa and rolled to his feet, putting an arm around both of their shoulders. Henley beckoned a finger at Daniel and with a dramatic eye roll but no protest, he too joined the pile, pressed tight between a kid who learned to grow up too fast, a man who was finally given a second chance and the girl who spelled of honey and was stronger than any man he ever met. 

With Henley's hair pressed into his cheek and Merritt's warm hand pressed to his back, Jack laughing somewhere in the middle and the promise of a bright future to come, for a fleeting moment, Daniel didn't care much about control.


End file.
